The real and imaginative adventures of Dennis Spielman

Category: Real Page 107 of 156

Turner Falls - photo by Dennis Spielman

Exploring Davis

While the town of Davis is famous for Turner Falls, Heide Brandes, Crystal McDermott, and I spent a day exploring what else Davis had to offer, including scenic turnouts, Magnetic Hill, Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies, 777 Zip, Beyond Blessed Coffee Roasters, City Drug, and Arbuckle Wilderness Park.

If you’ve been following me lately, I’ve been focusing on doing collaborative stories. This was the first one I filmed, which Heide and I took this trip on July 11th. I have more collaborations coming up soon.

For convenience, some of the more popular segments from this packed episode have their own video.

Want to experience something weird? Drive to the natural phenomena known as Magnetic Hill, put your car in neutral at the bottom of the hill, let off the brake, and “something” will pull your car backward at 5 miles an hour.

Magnetic Hill is located 1 1/2 miles west of I-35 and Highway 53 in Springer. Take Exit 42, heading west on Highway 53 to Pioneer Road and then turn right heading north and go about 1/2 mile to the bottom of the hill.

When you get down to the bottom of the hill, you’ll see a lot of gravel that has washed up on the blacktop road from the rains. This is the cue for the bottom of the hill. Stop your car here, put it in neutral, let off the brake, and experience the car going up the hill.

For a high flying adventure with a view of Turner Falls, the 777 Zip allows almost everyone a chance to soar through the skies. Heide Brandes interviews the owner of 777 Zip, Gary Fielding, about what the ride is like.

Heide Brandes interviews Donna and Kris Travis of Beyond Blessed Coffee Roasters in Davis.


For another perspective about the Davis visit, Heidi wrote this article for Red Dirt Report. While we visited many places in this episode of Uncovering Oklahoma, we went back for a second visit to include more. Stay tuned for Part 2! If you want a sneak peek at upcoming videos, become one of our supporters on Patreon.

What We Ate at Aurora - photo by Dennis Spielman

Aurora Chats and Snacks

Get to know the Plaza District’s new breakfast joint, Aurora, in my brand new Chats and Snacks segment. The Chats and Snacks series features members of the restaurant team and a special guest in a discussion of community and food over a potluck of snacks. With myself as the host along with guests, Henry Boudreaux, Executive Chef at Aurora; Aimee Struble, owner of Aurora; and Cayla Lewis, Executive Director of the Plaza District.

Pancakes at Aurora - photo by Dennis Spielman

As I said before, this is the first time making Chats and Snacks. This morning at 9 am, I filmed this and I’ve been editing it since. We had a great time doing this video and I hope it does well. While the video is over 25-minutes long, people can watch the first few minutes to get a general idea for the place or watch the whole thing for more details. I did cut out a few moments of pauses, a chat about trees, and my coaching. In the past, my travel videos have never gone into such depth so I’m curious as to how well it’s going to be received. I’m in the process of scheduling another one.

Inside Aurora - photo by Dennis Spielman

Thank you to my supporters on Patreon for helping make this video possible! Watch the previous video for the Poe Bouyz House Sneak Peek Tour and the teaser trailer for my upcoming documentary, Inviting Art.

Poe Bouyz House - photo by Dennis Spielman

Poe Bouyz House Sneak Peek Tour

Many drivers along I-35 in Oklahoma City have seen a strange, crooked building and wondered what it was. People have guessed everything from a daycare to an art gallery, a contractor’s revenge, an insurance agency, to just someone’s house.

The answer: a seafood restaurant called Poe Bouyz House.

I first shared the new back in February. My wife and I were on our way to an art opening at Science Museum Oklahoma when we spotted someone working on it. Curious to know about the building, I turned around and asked. The news went viral and blew up my Facebook feed. I had to turn off notifications. I then tried to get in touch with the owner to do a story for Uncovering Oklahoma, which at the time he declined as he wasn’t ready to talk about it. Yesterday, I got a call inviting me to tour Poe Bouyz House.

Poe Bouyz House - photo by Dennis Spielman

The owner and builder, Tony Howard, started construction back in April 2015. Poe Bouyz House has been a passion project for him, working on it bit by bit whenever he had extra time and money to invest. He’s taken his time with the restaurant so when it opens, he won’t have a huge debt to some bank and be worrying about his bottom line.

Poe Bouyz House - photo by Dennis Spielman

My original guess of the building being an art gallery wasn’t far off. During my one-on-one tour with Tony, he shared details of a Vegas style decor complete with a 3D underwater painting on the floor, a VIP area upstairs, and a bar surrounded by a waterfall. Poe Bouyz House also features a rooftop waterfall, which to both of our knowledge, is the only waterfall on a roof in the state and perhaps the country. He said people have thought the building sprung a leak when he turns on his waterfall.

Tony is hoping to open Poe Bouyz House in October. He wishes to allow people to enjoy the patio seating before the weather gets cold.

For more details about Poe Bouyz House, including the story behind the theme and the food offerings, watch the sneak peek video tour.

A special thanks to my supporters on Patreon for helping make this video possible! Watch my previous video on an actual art gallery, Oklahoma Contemporary, and the teaser trailer for my upcoming documentary, Inviting Art.

Inviting Art Teaser 1

Inviting Art Preview #1

Art’s Not Trendy!

Presented by Downtown OKC Inc, Inviting Art is my feature-length documentary that discusses Oklahoma City’s art scene. The film explores the impact of the arts, showcases examples of art in the city, and shares advice from artists in a story to inspire and invite more art.

Inviting Art the focal piece on my series stories highlighting art in OKC, which have included videos on Oklahoma Contemporary, IAO Gallery, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Current Studio, The Underground, and Make It Rain Poems. With the support of Downtown OKC in connection with Inviting Art, several Artist Statement Minutes were released about art in the downtown area, which included Amanda Zoey’s Wild Illuminate, Leigh Martin’s Contained Aesthetics, J. NiCole Hatfield and Steven Grounds’ Strength of the Woman, Kelsey Karper and romy owens’ Golden Hour, Don Narcomey’s Roots, and Jason Pawley’s Cultivation.

The movie is currently in the process of being reviewed by those involved for feedback and approval. The current length of the completed cut stands at 72-minutes! Things may get added and things may get cut before the final release, which I’m aiming for an August release. There will be a release screening of the film at a to be determined location along with a Midnight Toast celebration at Ludivine.

If you want to watch the preview, I’ve shared it on my Patreon page for all of my supporters. Plus, if you become a patron now and you’re still one when I release the film, I’ll include your name in the credits too!

Updates to come. I hope you enjoyed this teaser trailer!

CODED_COUTURE at Oklahoma Contemporary

Oklahoma Contemporary

Currently located at State Fair Park, Oklahoma Contemporary aims to encourage artistic expression in all its forms through education and exhibitions. They endeavor to instill in the public a lifetime appreciation of the arts and enthusiasm for creative practice through a broad range of educational programs, exhibitions, and cultural offerings.

Continuing my focus on the arts this month, for this video, I interviewed Jeremiah Matthew Davis, Artistic Director of Oklahoma Contemporary; Jennifer Scanlan, Curatorial and Exhibitions Director; and Erin Oldfield, Director of Education and Public Programming.

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